The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

Loading ...

Loading ...

This story appears in the {{article.article.magazine.pretty_date}} issue of {{article.article.magazine.pubName}}. Subscribe

“He’d want you to know first…”

It was the words Paul Walker fans were waiting to hear when Vin Diesel posted on Facebook yesterday that Fast & Furious 7 will be released April 10, 2015 with Walker’s scenes intact.

It came weeks after Walker’s tragic death in a fiery car crash Nov. 30, a stalled production and continued speculation that this could be the end of Universal’s most lucrative franchise.

Next to a photograph of the film’s two stars, Vin Diesel wrote: “…the last scene we filmed together…There was a unique sense of completion, of pride we shared… in the film we were now completing… the magic captured… and, in just how far we've come… Fast and Furious 7 will be released…April 10th 2015! …P.s. He'd want you to know first…”

Late yesterday Universal Pictures backed Diesel up. “Continuing the global exploits in the franchise built on speed, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead the returning cast of Fast & Furious 7, which will be released April 10, 2015,” the studio said in a statement. The film’s original release date was July 11, 2014. A studio source noted April has been a positive experience for the franchise's releases since Fast & Furious and Fast & Furious 5 were the third and second highest-grossing films in the series.

But the studio declined to provide further details on when it will resume production after the Dec. 4 shutdown following Walker’s death. While the announcement ended rumors that Walker’s scenes would be cut from the picture, Universal remains mum on whether reports are true that Walker’s younger brother Cody will complete his scenes at a distance with Paul’s face superimposed digitally for close-ups. It is the route Universal and DreamWorks pursued when Oliver Reed died of a heart attack while filming in Malta on Gladiator. His remaining scenes were completed with body doubles and Reed’s face was superimposed digitally. The Best Picture Oscar winner was dedicated to Reed’s memory.